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New Report: Climate Change and Bicycling
The Advocacy Advance Team, a partnership between the League and the Alliance for Biking & Walking, has released a new report on how bicycling advocates can work with state, city, and university officials to strengthen bicycling-promotion language in Climate Action Plans. Read “Climate Change and Bicycling: How bicycling advocates can help craft comprehensive Climate Action Plans.”
Climate Action Plans are strategic and comprehensive tools to combat climate change by reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. They are being written and implemented by cities, states, and universities in lieu of aggressive federal action. Bicycling is a convenient, enjoyable, and efficient way to make short trips – 40 percent of all trips in the United States are two miles or less – and it does not emit CO2. As a result, policymakers are increasingly turning to promoting bicycling as a way to meet GHG reduction targets.
Bicycling advocates can help shape Climate Action Plans to include pro‐bicycling policies. Using case studies and examples from existing plans, this report examines: 1. how pro‐bicycling policies have been written into the Climate Action Plans of states, cities, and universities, 2. examples of plans that include bicycling, 3. how bicycling advocates can best support these efforts, and 4. how to ensure that governments follow through on the promises made in their plans.
Bicycling language in Climate Action Plans varies, but here are some key points to advocate for:
VMT and GHG reduction targets – plans should identify vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction targets to reach GHG reduction targets. They can also include ambitious bicycle mode‐share targets.
Complete the network – plans should call for the prompt completion of the Bicycle Master Plan, if one exists, or the creation and implementation of one, if not. Improvements to inadequate plans should also be called for.
Funding – plans should include increased funding bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
Design practices – plans should call for Complete Streets policies that require the consideration of the needs of all users, and Smart Growth policies that encourage high‐density and multi‐modal land‐use planning. Some plans include incentives or requirements for new buildings to provide showers and changing facilities and secure bicycle parking.
Experienced advocates and climate planning experts recommend that advocates follow these steps:
The process – Know what the public input process is; offer your advice as an expert
The people – Know who is writing the plan; build relationships with the officials
The plan – Contribute ideas, especially existing, well thought‐out ones with quantifiable results
The public – Conduct outreach and build support for the plan
The product – Use the plan to make things happen; integrate the plan into the operating culture of the agency
Read the full report for much more detail and case studies of bicycling advocates who have helped improve their Climate Action Plans.
Darren Flusche
League Policy Director
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
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September 14th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Being over 50 yrs. old and still able to
go quite fast on my electric bike is nice.
And it takes less to charge my bike than
it does to feed me for the miles traveled.
September 14th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
I’d be careful on this one. Some of these programs are going to be target rich environments on the Hill and in state capitols. I think we should concentrate on more limited goals such as ensuring new and existing development is optimized for bicycling (see John Allen’s work) while not tying us too tightly to specific high density growth plans. Those give a lot of people the willies and are sure to earn us enemies in high places.
Certainly as a nation we need to optimize present and future urban and rural designs around a paradigm that conserves what will be increasingly expensive and scarce fossil fuels. Electric vehicles don’t solve the problem either as long as electricity is coal, oil, and gas-generated. All of these fuel sources are tied not only to GHG emissions but other environmental degradation (heavy metal releases, hydrofracturing effects on groundwater, oil spills, etc.)
Greenhouse gas emissions definitely need to be curbed, and resource conservation and GHG reductions go hand in glove. I’m just not willing to lead with my chin, and suggest we work these issues carefully and intelligently.
September 14th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Lead with your chin, Khal? More like catch up. Connecticut, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota recommend high density planning or smart growth policies in their state climate action plans. Arizona, Wisconsin, and Vermont include inter-modal connectivity or transit‐oriented development in theirs. The reason is that to get measurable reductions in GHG, you need to have comprehensive policies, of which bicycling is a part.
September 14th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
At the risk of being obstreperous, LAB’s primary mission is to promote cycling, as in its mission statement. Hitching LAB to the climate change movement may be seen as a strategic move and if it works, that is good. But such a move is not central to supporting LAB’s membership and can indeed backfire if in the short term, these various programs get tied in knots or stopped in their tracks during political changes that may occur this fall or by challenges based on state interference with the interstate commerce clause.
Mind you, I am in wholehearted agreement with many of the proposals in the “climate change and bicycling” document because as I said, these support broadly agreed upon moves towards conservation, less pollution, and less fossil fuel dependence and therefore can benefit cycling as well as decrease GHG emissions anyway.
My own opinions are here.
http://labikes.blogspot.com/2010/07/who-cooked-planet.html
September 15th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Bicycling advocacy organizations are members of the League as well. This research is targeted at them. They are free to use it, or not, depending on their own interests and strategies.
September 15th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
[...] Run to the post office? Drop off kids at sports practice? Approximately 40% of all trips in the US are two miles or less. Considering that each trip in the car is contributing to [...]
September 16th, 2010 at 8:29 am
I’ve read through half so far and its a good document that people should consider. My concern is that we should not hitch bicycling too closely to political hot-button issues during this election cycle. For example:
http://environment.about.com/b/2010/09/15/odonnell-win-in-delaware-puts-all-gop-senate-hopefuls-in-climate-denier-camp.htm
Be it resource conservation, public health, health care cost reduction, congestion mitigation, reducing infrastructure costs pushed by SOVs, or urban mobility, there are enough persuasive issues on which one will catch less flak.
One question. The blog says that advocates should “…offer your advice as an expert..” I would caution readers not to proclaim themselves experts on anything unless they have the credentials to back it up.
September 16th, 2010 at 11:32 am
To your last point, Khal, let me clarify. I mean to say that bicycling advocate organizations are experts at bicycle promotion, education, and accommodation — not climate science. Cities, especially, are looking to find ways to promote bicycling to reduce GHG emissions and they want to know from bicycling advocates how to do that.
September 16th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Another paper.Didn’t see this in the white paper references.
Commentary
Promoting physical activity and reducing climate change: Opportunities to replace
short car trips with active transportation
Edward Maibach, Linda Steg, Jillian Anable
Preventive Medicine 49 (2009) 326–327
October 29th, 2010 at 7:02 am
[...] 8. New Report: Climate Change and Bicycling [...]
November 18th, 2010 at 10:56 am
[...] dinner. Run to the post office? Drop off kids at sports practice? Approximately 40% of all trips in the US are two miles or less. Considering that each trip in the car is contributing to issues [...]